


Surprise Meal

by Lucicelo



Category: Free!
Genre: Birthday, Cooking, Instant Curry, M/M, Romance, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:16:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8576284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucicelo/pseuds/Lucicelo
Summary: After a day in the outside world, Haru walked into a surprise. Makoto managed to cook a decent meal using instant curry.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another ask prompt from Chibistarlyte that I wrote on June 2015. Rewrote certain parts and decided to post it here.

At the first sign of contact, Makoto hitched his breath. Snatching his hand back from the stove, he suckled his burned finger. Taking some steps to his left, he turned on the faucet, placing his finger under the cold water. He stared at the simmering curry with a sigh. He thought about wearing gloves when he first started to cook but this was instant curry. Even he could follow such simple instructions.  

Shutting off the tap, he dried his hand and wrapped a bandage around his finger. He kept a better eye on every part of his body whenever he moved around the stove. It wouldn't do to hurt himself. He went back to stirring the mixture. The smell of the spices caused his stomach to grumble. He ate no lunch in order to carefully prepare this meal. His past experiences in the kitchen made him cringe.

He kept checking the time on his watch and his cellphone. After all, he went through all this trouble for his boyfriend. Just to show that he learned how to somewhat work a kitchen. Eventually, he might learn how to prepare more food that came without instructions on a box. 

Letting out a sigh, he cleaned the mess left behind. Through each step, he cleaned off the counter. His mother told him that doing so left little clean up when he finished cooking. Less to do after they finished eating. The rice finished cooking way before he started on the curry. At least, he didn’t worry about that overcooking. 

He tpoked his finger into the back of the spoon. Tasting it real quick, he grinned. It tasted delicious. He felt real accomplished with this one. 

His tongue peeked out while he assembled their plates. Grabbing a bowl, he packed in the rice and turned it over the main plate. This created a little mountain of rice. He scooped curry onto the plate. Taking meticulous time in making it look pretty. It would get ruined during their meal but people ate with their eyes after all. 

Grabbing each plate, he went inside of his bedroom, which turned into a dining room as well. He managed to buy a low rise table for his small apartment. His apartment fit his needs but he bumped into things constantly. His large form bumped into the different fixtures where he learned when to duck.  

Placing the plates on the table, he stretched up his arms above his head. After a long string of failures, he saw the enjoyment in cooking. Ran and Ren wouldn't believe it but he'd have Haru as an accomplice. Even if his major culinary accomplishment came from a box. 

Makoto heard the door open and he chucked his apron onto his bed. He hurried over to the entrance as Haru took off his shoes. "Haru!"

Haru placed his shoes to the side when he said, “I’m back, Makoto.”

“Haru, you made it just in time.” He embraced him and placed a light kiss on Haru's cheek. “I have a surprise for you.” Makoto held onto Haru’s hand and they entered his bedroom. 

Makoto let go of Haru’s hand and went back inside of the kitchen. Filling two glasses of water, he went back inside of the room. “I made you dinner!” Makoto smiled. “It’s not much. I mean, it’s instant curry from the store, but at least I didn’t burn down the kitchen. I didn't want to order in, we agreed on no fast food to save money.”

Sitting down on the pillow, Haru held back a chuckle. “I can see that.” 

He noticed Makoto added a tablecloth and place mats for decoration. Even Makoto’s little cactus made an appearance on the table. After realizing their schedules, they couldn’t keep a cat like Makoto wanted. They settled on a plant. Very little maintenance. 

His stomach growled at the smell of the curry. No burnt smell. A vast improvement from the last few times Makoto attempted to cook back in Iwatobi. 

Makoto placed their cups of water on the table and sat down across form Haru. “I wanted to show you that you don’t have to cook all the time. It’s your birthday today so it’s a good thing this came out looking alright.”

“You did all of this for me?” Haru inquired in surprise. “Wait…it’s my birthday today?”

“Of course it is, don’t tell me you forgot.” Makoto picked up his spoon and blew onto the serving to cool it down. 

Haru moved his bangs to the side. “This week has been hectic. It’s probably the reason I forgot. Thank you, Makoto.” Haru picked up his spoon and began eating.

Makoto ate alongside him. Keeping an eye on Haru’s reactions while he savored the food. He tried not to openly stare. They connected eyes a few times and Makoto looked away first.

Haru took his sweet time before he commented. “It’s good for instant curry.”

Makoto sighed in relief, he placed a hand over his chest. “Thank goodness. I’ll try to make it from scratch next time on our anniversary.”

Haru arched a brow, stating. “No, you are not. _We_ will be doing this together next time.” 

The end. 


End file.
